BRINGING VICENTE HOME
  • Home
  • Early Life
  • Military Career
  • "Retirement"
  • Awards
  • Memorial
    • Eulogy
    • Prayer Card
  • Dad Stories
  • Blog
  • In the News
  • How YOU Can Help

Day Three In the Philippines: Dad's Funeral & Vicky's Birthday

10/28/2010

0 Comments

 
4:15pm (Philippines)
And the roller coaster continues.  Mom was right, M can’t be trusted.  Evelyn told me that Mom came to her in a dream this summer and told her that.  Dad was right: don’t rely on others to help you.  You must help yourself.  And that’s what I just did.  In the next three hours I will confirm if it worked.  As expected this woman changed her mind.  Now saying she wants to keep all of Dad’s ashes.  When just yesterday afternoon she took my sister outside and told her we can come up with an agreement together.  She tried to ask my sister and me to help her get and emergency visa to come to the US.  At the end of it she was all fine about splitting the ashes, we told her we were fine with that as long as she committed to bury the other half with his Mom.  She agreed.  But today, she went crazy, and she yelled at my sister.  She was hysterical about my Dad’s passport.  She wanted  it back.  But we had to surrender it to the US Embassy.  When I saw Evelyn walk out of the back room crying, that was the last straw.  I tried to talk rationally with her, but this immature, psychotic woman, just didn’t listen.  When I would look straight at her, in her eyes, she couldn’t even look at  me.  All I just saw was pure evil from her.  I knew I couldn’t trust her, I couldn’t trust anyone – so I did what Vicky does best, negotiate.  But not with her, I did with the people, the hard workers, who work day in and day out at the funeral place.  And I begged, I pleaded, I asked please, please help us.  My sister and I just want to make this right.  I was in a frenzy, trying to figure out what to do.  Ate Jo and Kuya Will from the funeral place couldn’t believe what they were hearing.  They kept telling my sister and me that we have rights since we are the children of our father.  We kept telling them, we have no rights, we are US Citizens.  The mass was going to start and I found Kuya Will, I told him I will pay you anything, please put the ashes aside.  He looked at me, and didn’t want the money.  But then the mass was to start.  When they opened the doors to roll in Dad’s coffin in Kuya Will looked at me and gestured his head to nod yes.  God, Dad, Mom I know you are watching out for Evelyn and I.  And I know you want to make things right.  And we will.  We can.  And now I wait…
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About

    Here, we share what happened when we tried to bring our father's body home from the Philippines.  We also update you on the ongoing battle to ensure that Dad's life is honored properly, and to hopefully, prevent what happened to us from ever happening to another grieving family.

    Authors

    Evelyn, Dad's panganay (eldest), & Vicky, the bunso (youngest)

    *Cast of Characters

    * We've tried to protect most names

    "Nala" - our puppy
    "Tito/ Uncle P" - Dad's youngest brother
    "That woman/ bitch/ M" - Dad's Filipina partner; the person who stole Dad's remains
    "Tita N" - Rodriguez family elder; a state diplomat
    "Jac" - Vicky's best friend
    "Kar" - Vicky's sister-in-law
    "Em" - Vicky's best friend; a military lawyer
    "Jas" - our contact at the Manila US Embassy
    "Tito Julio" - Dad's brother
    "Tita Sevilla" - Dad's sister
    Ate Jo & Kuya W - funeral home staff
    "Aunt T" - Tito P's wife
    "Lilibeth" - Ibatan cousin

    Archives

    October 2011
    June 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010


    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.